S-Class Trial X791
by pinkconchshell
Summary: The next S-Class trial after the 7 year disappearance is here! Set post-Grand Magic Games arc. Who will finally emerge victorious? Who will finally admit their feelings? But most importantly - where will the anticipated exams take place! Nalu, Gruvia, Gale, Gerza, ElfEver
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**I DON'T OWN NO FAIRY TAIL**

"Lucy – Job!" Natsu's voice called from the windowsill.

Lucy slammed her journal shut and turned, red-faced, to see a grinning Natsu waving a paper triumphantly above his head. He hopped into the room and strode over to her confidently, Happy trailing along behind him.

"Wha…another one?" Lucy asked weakly, feeling her sore muscles protest. "Natsu, we just got back from one this morning!"

"Exactly!" Natsu said cheerfully, shaking the paper in her face. "And this one's even harder than the last. It'll be great – c'mon, get your stuff, we're going."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from the desk, pushing her hastily towards her bedroom.

"Hey!" she protested, twirling out of his grasp. "Just wait a minute! Aren't you guys tired from all we did yesterday?"

"Lucy, if you think battling one puny herd of leviathan is hard work, then you obviously don't have what it takes to be S-Class."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but halted as it dawned on her that this was the reason for Natsu's newfound hyperactivity for the past month and a half.

"Oh, that's right," she said, more to herself than to the dragon slayer beside her. "The S-Class trials are in two weeks!"

"I know!" Natsu said impatiently. "That's why we have to _go_, Lucy. I snatched this job from right under Gajeel's nose, and I won't let such a great opportunity to prove ourselves go to waste. If we can defeat a band of shadow demons from another dimension, I'd say we're qualified to compete!"

Lucy looked at him, wide eyed. "Natsu…do you mean to say…you think _I_ could make it into the ranks?"

He grinned back at her. "Well, duh! Why do you think I've been dragging you along everywhere?"

Touched, Lucy embraced him quickly, and rushed to go get ready.

**...**

"What're you guys looking at?" Levy quipped, startling Jet and Droy immensely.

"The master just posted this up on the notifications section," Droy said, gesturing towards a large announcement titled: _**ATTENTION – REGARDING THE S-CLASS TRIALS.**_

"What's it say?" Levy asked curiously, struggling to see over Jet's tall frame.

"Apparently we're being permitted to submit nominations for the candidates this year," Jet answered, peering more closely at the poster. "It says here that we're supposed to turn in our selections to one of the existing S-Class mages in person, from 4 – 6pm tomorrow, in Makarov's office."

Levy raised an eyebrow. "Nominations? Well, that's never been done before. Why in person, though?"

"Probably to make sure that we don't vote for ourselves," said Droy, pointing out the paragraph forbidding self-nominations. "And that we only vote one time each."

"Ah," Levy sighed, feeling her heart sink. "I suppose that's only fair, then. Well, who are you guys going to vote for, if not yourselves?"

Jet and Droy exchanged glances, and Levy felt a sudden sense of foreboding as they closed in on her.

"You, of course!" they exclaimed simultaneously. "You deserve it more than anyone!"

She flushed. "Oh, come on, you're just saying that."

"Are you kidding, Levy?" Jet said in disbelief. "After that episode with the enchanted library that sucked the entire guild into a different story, nobody would doubt that you deserve to be S-Class."

"Yeah, and remember that time when you single-handedly saved Team Natsu from that storybook curse by decoding the cipher and breaking the spell?" Droy added. "You definitely have the mind of an S-Class mage, Levy."

Levy felt her face getting warm, and turned around bashfully. "Aw, you guys," she said, trying to hold back the grateful tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes. "I really couldn't have done any of it without you, you know."

Shadow Gear shared a warm smile, and had themselves an epic group hug.

**...**

Lisanna noticed the petit figure sitting alone at a table by the window, staring passively at the floor. She looked around for Mira Jane, remembering her sister's knack for making people feel at home, but the barmaid was nowhere in sight. Chewing her lip thoughtfully, she poured two glasses full of lemonade and walked over to the lone mage.

"Hi, Yukino," she greeted cheerfully. The addressed looked up in surprise to see Lisanna standing there with a bright smile.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked, and Yukino shook her head silently, gesturing for her to take the seat opposite her. "I don't think we've been introduced yet. Silly, isn't it? Seeing as you've been here for several months now. I'm Lisanna."

The ghost of a smile passed across Yukino's lips. "Yukino. It's nice to meet you."

"So you're a Celestial Wizard, like Lucy then?" Lisanna asked, noticing the Zodiac keys she sported.

"Yes," Yukino answered. "But I'm afraid I don't have nearly as many powers as Lucy does. I owe a lot to her and Natsu, you know."

"Natsu?" Lisanna repeated. "Oh, I remember – he stormed the Sabertooth guild after they excommunicated you, right?"

Yukino hesitated for a moment, and Lisanna was afraid that she had touched a nerve, but the other girl smiled a bit more widely this time and nodded her head.

"Yes. I was very touched by his gallantry. And when he and Lucy offered to let me join Fairy Tail, I just couldn't refuse. It's hard to say no to somebody like Natsu."

They shared a giggle, and Lisanna felt herself warming up to the gentle mage. Yukino caught her eye for a moment, and then looked down at the table again, tracing circular patterns on the wood with her index finger. "Are…" she started, avoiding Lisanna's gaze. "Are Natsu and Lucy…are they…well, you know."

Lisanna took in her pink-tinged cheeks and tensed muscles, and realized she knew exactly what she meant. "Oh. Well, in all honestly, yes. Even if they can't see it, everyone else can."

Yukino let out a tiny sigh, and shrugged her shoulders. "They're very well suited for each other, I think. Lucy's lucky to have someone like him always there."

"I know," Lisanna sighed in agreement. "Even I think so too."

They shared a smile, and Lisanna decided to switch topics.

"So, did you read the poster about the S-Class trial?" she asked curiously.

Yukino nodded. "I think I'll vote for Natsu. He deserves it the most."

Lisanna laughed. "I won't argue with that. But as for me…well, I don't know who to vote for. Everyone's so deserving. There's Cana, who has never wanted anything more dearly in her whole life. And then there's my brother Elfman who has been working so hard just to be S-Class worthy. I can think of a lot of other people who deserve it so much…it's very conflicting."

Yukino nodded understandingly. "I hope you get chosen, Lisanna. I think you deserve to be up there with your brother and sister."

Lisanna smiled happily. "I hope you get chosen too, Yukino!"

**...**

Erza pressed her ear against the door, listening to the loud buzz of activity filtering in from outside Makarov's office. She exchanged glances with Mira Jane, Gildarts, and Laxus, all of whom were looking slightly wary at the thought of having to accept and file all the S-Class submissions within the next two hours. Grimacing, she looked over at Makarov, who was watching the clock.

"And in ten," he muttered, cuing everyone to take their places at the desks. "Nine, eight, seven,"

"Six, five four," chorused Mira, Laxus, and Erza.

"Three, two one," finished Gildarts, and Makarov promptly pulled the door open.

Before things could get out of hand, Erza stood and screamed at the top of for her lungs for everyone to form an orderly line in front of the desk of their choosing so as to get this done as quickly and efficiently as possible, thank you for your cooperation. Everyone did just that, though it was Natsu who burst in first, grinning like mad, and running over to Gildarts in a rush.

"If I get in, I'll beat you for real this time," he assured the older man.

Gildarts checked the slip of paper Natsu had handed him and let out a booming laugh. "Aw, that's adorable, kid. Oh, if you were found out…"

"Shut up, old man," Natsu said, flushing. "You'd better not tell anyone else!"

Next in line was Happy, of course. He timidly dropped his slip of paper into Gildarts' palm and flew away before he could open it. Gildarts peeked inside and smiled, not surprised at all, and dropped his vote into the box before him.

Over on the far side of the room, Erza was busy handling Gray.

"The rules clearly stated that you're not allowed to vote for yourself, moron!" she said loudly, pounding her fist on the table and waving his slip of paper in his face.

"Your rules are stupid," he growled, trying to force her hand to drop his vote in the box. "I should be able to vote for myself if I wanna!"

Erza gave him a very convincing glare, and said in a low voice, "You're holding up the line."

Grey gulped, and used her pen to change the name on the ballot, then handed it to her and walked away. She peeked at it and allowed a small smile to tug at her lips, then deposited it into the box.

Next behind gray was none other than Gajeel Redfox, who was determinedly avoiding looking Erza in the eye. She held out her hand and he reluctantly dropped his vote into it, crossing his arms and waiting for her to clear it. Erza laughed out loud when she saw his nomination.

"I would have thought you'd want her for a partner again this year," she said quietly, so that only Gajeel could hear.

He let out a splutter. "I – wha – we can have partners again this year?"

Erza nodded solemnly. Gajeel stalked off looking quite dejected.

Over towards the middle of the room, Laxus was currently reading Lucy's vote out lout to Mira Jane, who was sitting next to him.

The Celestial Spirit mage was blushing furiously. "Mira! There should be some rule against this, shouldn't there?" she asked weakly, as Laxus continued to laugh loudly over her submission.

"Stop teasing her Laxus, I think it's sweet," she said mildly, not entirely opposed to the knowledge of Lucy's vote.

Laxus dropped it in the box, chortling. "NEXT!" he bellowed.

On his right, Mira Jane was trying her best to suppress her delight at Wendy's vote. "I think you made an excellent choice," she told the younger girl, trying her best not to laugh. "Who knows, maybe you'll get his vote too!"

Wendy flushed and walked away quickly, leaving Juvia to eagerly deposit her ballot in the box and skip away merrily.

Laxus gave Mira Jane a look. "Ain't you gonna check her vote?" he grunted.

"Is there really a need?" Mira shot back.

**...**

"Right," said Erza, dropping the last of her ballots onto the table. "Everyone have their final count?"

"Finished," called Gildarts, quickly jotting something down on his tally sheet.

"Me too," said Laxus, putting his pen down. "Are you guys ready to count them up?"

"Okay," said Makarov. "Everyone tell me the total for Natsu Dragneel."

Several hours passed before the S-Class council came to a consensus. There were several ties in which they had to debate on who was more worthy on participating in the trial, lots of long-winded arguments about the accuracy of the vote counts, and many instances of recounts, but they finally narrowed the final candidates down to eight participants:

**S-Class X791 nominees:**

Natsu Dragneel – 18 votes

Gray Fullbuster – 18 votes

Gajeel Redfox – 17 votes

Cana Alberona – 16 votes

Yukino Aguria – 14 votes

Elfman Strauss – 12 votes

Levy McGarden – 10 votes

Wendy Marvell – 9 votes

"I still think we shoulda put in Juvia instead of Levy," grumbled Laxus, throwing resentful glare at Levy's name on the final tally.

"No," Erza said forcefully, rounding on him. "You know how crazy she gets around Gray, and she doesn't even seem to want to be S-Class as much as Levy does. Plus," she added with a wicked grin. "If Gray chooses her as a partner this time around, maybe what we've all been waiting for will finally happen…"

She and Mira Jane exchanged looks while the rest of the mages all groaned.

**...**

**A/N: Yay! S-Class tests! Woo!**

**I tried to pick as many different candidates from the last test as possible, but it was hard, seeing as all those people are the guild's most powerful. Oh, well. I added Yukino because it made sense to me that she'd join Fairy Tail after the whole Grand Magic games thing, and I put Wendy in the test because she's been doing very well as of late, despite being so young. I included Levy also to give Gajeel some grief (gihi!) and because she's mentally S-Class level, and left out Juvia for the reasons Erza stated. Y'all can still flame me, but that's why I chose everyone ^^**

**If you want to know who everyone voted for, here it is (this isn't everyone, seeing as I pictured the guild to hold over 100 people, but just the main people):**

**Natsu – Lucy**

**Lucy – Natsu**

**Happy - Gajeel**

**Gray – Natsu**

**Juvia – Gray**

**Gajeel – Levy**

**Pantherlily - Gajeel**

**Cana - Juvia**

**Levy – Gajeel**

**Erza – Gajeel**

**Elfman - Evergreen**

**Mira Jane – Yukino**

**Lisanna – Elfman**

**Gildarts – Cana**

**Laxus – Yukino**

**Yukino – Natsu**

**Jet – Levy**

**Droy – Levy**

**Makarov – Natsu**

**Wendy – Gray**

**Carla – Wendy**

**Freed – Levy**

**Evergreen – Elfman**

**Bixlow – Gray**

**Romeo – Natsu**

**Makao – Cana**

**Laki – Yukino**

**Bisca – Lucy**

**Alzack – Natsu**

**Wakaba – Wendy**

**Max – Lucy**

**Reedus – Gray**

**Warren – Gajeel**

**And yeah, that's it! Be on the watch for more! ;) **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Lucy pushed open the doors to the guild, and was greeted by the site of the entire body of Fairy Tail assembled in the hall. She attempted to wedge her way in between the throng, but gave up halfway through and instead raised herself up on tiptoe, searching for the top of Natsu's pink head.

"Lucy!" she heard Levy call, and turned with relief to see the small girl wriggling her way towards her.

"Hi, Levy!" Lucy replied, very relieved. "I'm so glad you're here! Are you excited?"

"Yup," Lucy said, suddenly determined. "I feel like this is my year, you know? I feel like I might have a fair chance at winning!"

Levy nodded. "It'd be an honor for me to even be chosen," she said thoughtfully, glancing up at the state where Makarov, Mira Jane, Erza, Laxus, and Gildarts were standing. "I really hope we get it, Lu!"

Before Lucy could say anything, however, Makarov sized himself up and bellowed to the guild, "ATTENTION FAIRY TAIL MEMBERS! ARE YOU READY FOR THE S-CLASS ANUNCIATION CEREMONY?!"

Fairy Tail clapped and cheered in assent.

"Gildarts – take it away!" Makarov gestured for Gildarts to step to the front. The tall man waved merrily at Cana in the audience, and then began his speech.

"This year has begun a lot differently than the previous S-Class years, hasn't it?" he started, scanning the guild members' faces. "We've felt it best to lean more towards a democratic standpoint in selecting the elite members of the guild. The victor, after all, will be added to our council as a leader and example of the power of Fairy Tail. Now, ARE YOU READY TO HEAR WHO THE NOMIEES ARE?"

More cheers resounded from the crowd.

"Give it to them, Mira!" Gildarts shouted, and Mira Jane stepped forward to announce the candidates.

"The numbers are in!" she said excitedly. "And in seventh place, with a grand total of nine votes: Wendy Marvell!"

Wendy turned a faint shade of pink and disappeared underneath a crowd of admiring huggers.

"In sixth place, with a total of twelve votes – Levy McGarden!"

Levy squealed and gave Lucy a hug. "I did it! I made it back in!"

"Congratulations, Levy!" Lucy said earnestly. Levy grinned and turned to look at Gajeel, who was staring at the beer bottle in his hand with great interest.

"In fifth place, with a total vote count of twelve votes – Elfman Strauss!"

Elman roared mightily, temporarily deafening the people surrounding him. Evergreen slapped him on the arm.

"Next up, in fourth place, with a total of 14 votes – Yukino Aguria!"

Yukino looked very surprised, and was quickly overwhelmed by the earnest congratulations of everyone around her. She glanced towards Lisanna, who gave her a wink.

"In third place we have Cana Alberona, who collected a grand total of 16 votes!"

Cana nodded solemnly, but her expression quickly turned to shock when Gildarts jumped off the stage and ran to her, crying with happiness the entire way. She was unable to stay for the remainder of the ceremony, as her father ended up chasing her all the way out of the guild.

"In second place, with a total of 17 votes – Gajeel Redfox!"

Gajeel's 'eyebrows' flew up into his hairline, but he said nothing and merely gave Natsu a wicked grin.

"And tying for first, both with a grand total of 18 votes each – Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster!"

The guild roared with approval as Natsu and Gray rounded on each other, glaring daggers into the other's face.

"Just how many votes did you sneak in, Flame Brain?" Gray shouted above the noise, throwing a punch at the dragon slayer.

"What, afraid that I'll end up becoming an S-Class wizard before you, Snowflake?"

They engaged themselves in an all-out duel, while Lucy looked on with the others, trying her best not to cry. Levy noticed and took her hand comfortingly.

"I'm sure you were very close, Lucy," she told her friend. "If not this year then definitely next year, for sure!"

Lucy smiled appreciatively, not trusting her voice, and squeezed Levy's tiny hand. "But Levy – you're up against Gajeel this year," she said shakily, wiping a few traitorous tears from her eyes. "That's so tragically romantic. It can be like Romeo and Juliet!"

The solid script mage flushed. "Really, Lucy, sometimes you make no sense at all."

Makarov cleared his throat loudly as the guild began to quiet down. "Yes, yes, very exciting and all – now, the details of the exam will not be given until the actual day. All you must know is that there will be five examiners, and only one partner per candidate is permitted at any given time. They cannot be S-Class, and they must be from Fairy Tail. All candidates must meet at the top of Jourabone Mountain at six in the morning one week from today. That is all; DISMISSED!"

Lucy was about to make a break for it and run back home as fast as she could when she heard Makarov call from his place up on the stage, "Oh, and before I forget – will Lucy Heartfilia please come meet with the S-Class council in my office immediately."

Lucy whirled around and gave Makarov a look that said, "Me? Surely not," but he pointed a finger directly at her and then to the door of his office, then marched offstage, followed by Mira Jane, Erza, and Laxus.

Confused, she looked at Levy for help, but Levy merely shrugged and gestured towards the Master, suggesting that she'd better go and see what he wanted. Lucy strode cautiously towards her guild master, and knocked on his door as a formality.

"Get in here, Lucy!" he barked from the other side, and she walked in nervously, getting the inexplicable feeling that she had done something wrong.

"Erza has had an idea," he started, making Erza look down, suddenly fascinated by her shoes. "She believes that the Celestial Spirit realm would make an excellent testing site for our Exams, and that you have the power to get us in. Is that correct, my dear?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same. "Yes, sir."

"And exactly how much would twelve hours in the Spirit World amount to, then, in Earthland time?"

"About a month and a half, Master," she replied, blinking. "Is that why you called me in here, sir? You want me to ask to Celestial Spirit king for permission to hold the exam in his realm?"

The S-Class members exchanged glances. "Well, it's only part of the reason, really," Mira Jane answered her, smiling." What we're about to disclose is highly classified, top secret information, and though you are a trusted member of the guild, under no circumstances may you speak of anything that is to happen or be said in this room. With that said, I can get to the point -Lucy, we would be honored to have you sit as an examiner during the trial."

Lucy's jaw hit the floor. "Are you serious?" she said, gaping. "_Me?!_ An S-Class examiner?"

Laxus nodded. "You actually came in just after Yukino, with fifteen votes," he explained. "But we voted you out of the contest because we really wanted you to get us into the Spirit World instead."

Lucy wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a compliment, but was thrown off by what he had said. "Fifteen votes!" she cried, feeling as though she could do cartwheels. "That's so awesome! Next year it'll be even more!"

"Oh, don't worry, you're already in the running for next year," Erza grinned. "After all you've done, how drastically you've improved…there's no way you wouldn't qualify for S-Class."

"Yes!" Lucy felt like punching the air. "You guys wait and see. Ol' Mustache owes me a thousand times over, he can't say no to me!"

She rushed from the room, squealing excitedly. The S-Class council looked at each other, amused.

"I bet she partners with Natsu!" Erza cried, and thus was a betting pool started.

…

**A/N: Yup! I know a lot of you were upset that Lucy wasn't nominated, but she was! Makarov just wanted her to wait one more year to actually compete, and I needed her for plot purposes. **

**Originally I was gonna set this whole exam in Edolas, but I had absolutely zero ideas on how to get them there. Oh, well. The Celestial Spirit World is cool too. :P**

**Next chapter has a bunch of partnering up! Heheheee :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**A/N: Oh my gosh, thanks for all the favorites, guys! I'm glad you're all liking it so far:)**

…**…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…**

"Girls are crazy!" Natsu declared, throwing open the front door to his home dramatically and stomping in.

"Well you did call her fat, Natsu," Happy reminded him, walking in after him. "What did you expect?"

Natsu frowned. "Happy, that was _you_."

"Oh, yeah…"

Catching sight of Lucy's prized maid outfit out of the corner of his eye, Natsu turned and examined it closely. "I just don't get it," he said softly, running a hand through his hair. "We're always partners. For everything. Why did she reject me?"

"With Lucy, who knows," Happy answered, reminiscing about all of her wild antics. "Maybe she was angry because you got in and she didn't."

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Natsu said, frustrated, as he settled onto his couch. "Lucy wouldn't do that – normally she would be happy for me and say she'd help me as much as she could. And when she congratulated me, I thought she was genuinely excited. She seemed so – at least, I thought she was. So why would she just automatically step out of being my partner, out of the blue like that? It's weird, you know?"

Happy stared at Natsu, blinking slowly. "I never saw you think so much in your life, Natsu."

Natsu groaned and buried his face in the pillow. "I know!" he said, voice muffled. "It's driving me crazy!"

"Maybe she wants to partner with Cana, like last year," Happy wondered aloud. "Or maybe she was so upset at not being chosen that she doesn't want to participate at all."

"No," Natsu said, waving his ideas aside. "Lucy always tells me these things, she's never afraid to say what's on her mind. That's why I get the feeling that she might be hiding something from me. I don't know, maybe I should go talk to her again."

"Okay, but I'm not flying you over there until I get my fish for today," Happy said, cross. Natsu laughed and tossed him one from the fish bowl.

…**…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…****…**

Back in her apartment, Lucy was pacing back and forth on the carpet, all ten of her Zodiac keys dangling from her belt.

"How should I set this up, Plue?" she asked, while the little dog (?) shivered in the corner. "If I call Virgo, she'll just - well, you know Virgo. And Aquarius, no, definitely not, out of the question. Aries might help some, but it might be hard getting through to her. There's always Capricorn…but I need someone who would take me there, no questions asked. Hmm…hey Plue, what about Loke?"

Plue made a sound of approval, and Lucy nodded. "Yeah. I know it's a little mean, but I need to use all the best cards I have. Plus, we haven't seen him in a really long time, huh?"

She slid the golden key out of its hold and raised it in the air, crying, "Gate of the Lion – I open thee: Leo!"

There was a brilliant flash of light, and when it faded, Loke was standing there, beaming.

"You called, my dearest Lucy?" he asked, holding his arms wide open to her. "Anything you wish, your prince will do it for you in a heartbeat."

Lucy, overjoyed to see her old friend, threw her arms around his neck in a relieved embrace.

"Thanks for coming, Loke!" Lucy greeted, smiling radiantly up at him. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Loke stared at her, adjusting his glasses for good measure. Then his face split into a wide grin. "Finally come to your senses, have you then?" he asked, sliding his arm around her waist and straightening his tie. "I knew one day you'd wake up and realize the futility of your resistance!"

Unfazed, Lucy twisted out of his grasp and looked at him earnestly. "Loke – do you think you can do me a favor?"

Loke blinked. "But of course, Lucy. Anything, just say the word."

Lucy looked down nervously, twiddling her thumbs. "So, I don't know if you've been keeping track or not, but the S-Class exams are coming up in about a week – "

"And you got in!" Loke cried, grasping her hands in his and shaking them excitedly. "And you want me to be your partner this year, isn't that right, Lucy?"

"Uh, well, no," she answered, pulling her hands away. "Actually, see, the S-Class council pulled me out of the trial because they wanted me to sit as an examiner. And then Master had the bright idea of asking me to see if I can get the exam site to be in a designated area of the Celestial Spirit World. Since you're the only member of Fairy Tail up there, Loke, I was wondering if you had any ideas for me. I mean – do you think it'd be okay at all?" She bit her lip, waiting to see what he would say.

"Okay?" he repeated, and suddenly his face broke into an ecstatic smile. He grabbed her by the shoulders and began to practically bounce up and down. "That'd be amazing! I haven't seen the guys in such a long time, too! And to have you sit as an examiner – Lucy, while we're up there together, we can have a Celestial Spirit wedding among the stars and planets…"

_Seems like he's all for it_, Lucy thought as he continued to ramble. _But I wonder if we need to get the King's permission first?_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Loke's arm snaked around her waist and pressed her to his side, making her blush.

"Oh – wait – what are you doing?" she cried, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching (although why, she wasn't really sure).

"We're gonna go talk to the King!" Loke declared, the ground around them beginning to glow. "Ready, Lucy?"

"Wha – right now?!" she exclaimed, completely caught off guard. "Will he be okay with it on such short notice?"

Suddenly her window flew open and Natsu's cheerful voice reached her ears. "Oi – Lucy!" he yelled, but then stopped short when he caught sight of Lucy and Loke wrapped around each other in the midst of a brilliant light.

"Hang in there, Natsu!" she called, waving. "I'll be right back!"

They disappeared in a flash, leaving her apartment strangely dark and vacant. Natsu scowled, climbed inside, and settled himself down on her bed.

"Great," he mumbled to himself as Happy fluttered in. "So she ditched me to go hang out with Loke, then. I see how it is. If she wanted some quality time alone with him, she could have just said so." He rolled over and pulled the covers over his head, noting that Lucy had been making him quite miserable as of late.

"Well, he does treat her like a princess," Happy said matter-of-factly. "And here you are every day telling her that she's too fat."

"….THAT WAS YOU!"

…

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called, skipping happily over to the dark-haired man at the bar and waving. He turned to look at her, making her heart leap up into her throat.

"Gray-sama, you're pants," she said, and he let out a stream of curses as he dove for the trousers in question

"Juvia just wanted to congratulate you," she said, flushing. Finding his dark eyes too intense to bear, she looked down and spoke to the ground as she fingered the edges of her dress. "Juvia knows how hard Gray-sama has worked this past year, and thinks he deserves the S-Class candidacy, more than anyone in the guild!"

Gray smiled (at her!), and shrugged casually. "Well, as soon as Natsu's name was called, I knew I was going to get in, because there's no way that guy has ever beaten me at anything. But hey – aren't you disappointed, Juvia? You weren't chosen to participate this year."

Juvia's heart leapt as her name rolled off his tongue. She shook her head, smiling, saying, "Oh. Juvia doesn't mind that! In fact, Juvia is happy that Gray-sama got in instead of her, because now she can watch him peacefully compete without having to worry about beating him!"

Gray nearly choked on the water he was sipping. "Wha – you think you could have beaten me in the trials?"

Juvia cocked her head to the side. "Is that not what Gray-sama thinks as well?"

Gray stared at her, and then his lips curled into the smallest of grins before he turned around and continued to make ice cubes out of the water in his glass.

"I was actually looking for you earlier," he said, suddenly very interested in the patterns on the wooden counter. "Because – well, when they said we were allowed partners, I thought of you and-"

He was cut off by a scream of joy and found himself being throttled by a highly elated Juvia, who had thrown her arms around him and was squeezing his neck so tight he thought he saw spots beginning to appear in front of his eyes. She squealed with joy and released him, her eyes sparkling with apparent tears of delight.

"Juvia would be so _honored_ to be Gray-sama's partner!" she breathed, covering her mouth with her hand as if she couldn't believe it. "Juvia has been waiting and waiting for the day when she could finally repay Gray-sama's kindness and generosity, and now that she has an opportunity to make him an S-Class wizard, maybe she can finally fulfill the debt that she owes!"

Gray rubbed the back of his neck nervously, staring at her. "Uh, well, it's not like you owe me a debt or anything, Juvia. I just want you to be my partner because _you_ want to."

She stumbled back, dizzy with happiness. Concerned, Gray stood up, making a move as if to catch her if she fell, but she merely sank into the barstool beside his and took a few moments to hyperventilate.

"Hey, ah – are you okay?" Gray asked.

"Juvia is so happy! Gray-sama is concerned for her interest – this is the most wondrous day Juvia has ever experienced! To be Gray-sama's partner would be even better than becoming an S-Class mage!"

Gray grinned. "Alright, then. I'll take that as a yes."

…

"Elfman," Lisanna whispered urgently in her brother's ear. "Just go ask her! Geez. Don't be such a _girl_."

Elfman whirled around, his expression shocked. "Lisanna, how could you say that to me?"

His sister rolled her eyes. "I can get Mira to help you, if you want."

"Let's do this!" Elfman responded, all of a sudden invigorated. "Stop holding me back, Lisanna."

Lisanna watched as her brother approached Evergreen, who was engaged in deep conversation with Cana and Bixlow at one of the tables by the window. She looked up as Elfman drew near, adjusting her glasses and tilting her head, so that her caramel hair was illuminated like a halo against the sunlight. Lisanna giggled to herself; Ever really knew all the tricks.

Elfman and Evergreen exchanged a few sparse words, and then he wheeled around and made his way back towards Lisanna, his face beet-red from the encounter. Evergreen looked smug, and she, Cana, and Bixlow all leaned in to discuss what had just transpired in hushed voices.

"What happened?" Lisanna whispered, placing a comforting hand on Elfman's arm.

"I asked her," he replied, grabbing a tank and filling it up with beer.

"…And?"

"And she said 'sure'," he said, taking a deep swig and avoiding Lisanna's eyes.

"Oh, really?" she asked, skeptical. "Is that _all_, Elfman?"

Her brother's face turned the shade of a ripe tomato. "Well, then I said, 'It's a date', and she winked at me, and I booked it outta there before I could make a bigger fool of myself." He groaned and buried his face in his arms. "Ugh, what did I get myself into? This is so unmanly."

"Well, you guys worked so well together last time," she observed, remembering their impressive teamwork. "So you made a good choice with her as your partner again. Plus, it's not as you two don't know about the way you feel about each other, so it'll be less awkward."

Elfman stared at her. "How does that logic even make sense?!"

"Lisanna," came a soft voice behind her, and she turned around to find Yukino standing timidly beside their table. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"Oh!" Lisanna said, surprised. "For what, Yukino?"

Yukino shrugged. "For believing in me. For consoling me. For making me feel at home." The Celestial Spirit mage smiled at her. "And also…I need another favor."

"Oh, anything!" Lisanna grinned, eagerly clasping her friend's hands. "You did, after all, win the candidacy!"

"Would you be my partner, then?" Yukino asked, biting her lip nervously. "For the S-Class test? You're the only other person I really feel comfortable with here, besides Natsu and Lucy, but Natsu's obviously competing against me and Lucy's God-knows-where…"

Lisanna laughed, and pulled a surprised Yukino into a hug. "Sure thing!" she replied, smiling at her warmly. "Let's give Natsu a run for his money, huh?"

Elfman wiped his eyes. "Oh, Lisanna – it's so manly of you to have so many friends!"

…

"Bisca, you're so lucky!" Cana roared, slamming into a barstool beside the addressed. Bisca looked up, saw how drunk Cana was, and ordered Asuka to go and play with her father.

"Sorry – what was that?" she asked, turning her attention to the other girl. "Did you say I was lucky?"

"Beyond reason," Cana assented, slopping some of her drink onto her shirt. "You got a husband, and a cute kid, and if _you_ had gotten chosen for the Exams, you could easily pick between the both of them for a combat partner!"

_Yes, the cream of the crop,_ Bisca thought to herself, but then what Cana had just said registered in her mind. "Hold on – is that what you're upset about? That you can't find a partner for the trials?"

"SSSHHHH!" Cana exclaimed, slapping her index finger on Bisca's lips to silence her. "Yes, Biss-cah, that's exactly what I'm saying. I'm not appealing enough to have a man come up to me and ask to be my partner for the exam. It's because they don't think that I got a shot at making it, isn't it!? So card magic isn't all that showy. Whatever! I'm smart, and powerful, and this is my sixth time as an S-Class candidate. I DON'T NEED A MAN!"

She promptly buried her face in her arms and began sobbing.

Bisca sighed. "Well, then, ask one of the girls to be your partner. Weren't you with Lucy last year?"

"Nobody's seen her," Cana replied, her voice muffled. "And I can't ask Gildarts, since he's the one giving the exam…Bisca, what am I gonna do?"

"How about you and I just partner up?" Bisca asked, exasperated. Cana raised her head, staring at her inquisitively. "Oh, come on, Cana. I've gotten ten times more powerful in the last seven years since I was eighteen, and I easily could have made it into the S-Class rankings if I didn't have a husband and a child to commit myself to."

Cana cocked her head to the side. "Really?"

"The point is," Bisca said loudly. "I'm here to help you. If you'll have me, Cana."

Cana laughed loudly and slapped Bisca's back good-naturedly. "Well, alright! See, this is what _girlfriends_ are for. I knew you'd do me good, Bisca! That's why I came straight to you after I heard about the whole partner thing. There was no need to put up such a fuss."

"Oh, my bad," Bisca muttered under her breath as Cana got up and stumbled off.

A loud whistle pierced the air, and Bisca turned around to see Cana perched atop a table near the center, holding an entire barrel of beer above her head with one hand and waving at her with the other.

"Hey, Bisca!" she yelled, mimicking her Southern accent. "Here's to you!"

The guild cheered as Cana began what was bound to be an hour's worth of chugging, and Bisca raised her own glass to Cana, knowing full well she'd have to complete the Exams at least half-sober to come out sane.

…

"So who are you going to partner with, Wendy?" Erza asked, as she and the little Dragon Slayer stood watching another one of Gray and Natsu's fantastic spats.

Wendy glanced up at her. "I don't really know. Who do _you_ think I should partner with, Erza?"

Erza chuckled in response. "If you think you're going to get a hint about the Exam out of me, you're dead wrong. Good strategy, though. The truth is, we still haven't planned anything out, or even set the location. We're waiting on Lucy for that."

Wendy gasped. "Is that where Lucy is, then? Natsu was going crazy looking for her a few hours ago."

Erza cursed the girl's sharpness. "I will neither confirm nor deny that. And what about Natsu? He was going crazy about Lucy? Did that boy's brain finally fall into place? Did he say anything about the way he feels about her? Come on, Wendy, give it up, what did he say?!"

Being shaken by the most powerful woman in the guild was slightly traumatizing for Wendy, and had to stutter slightly before she was able to form a coherent sentence. "Ah – no, he just seemed really worried about her, because he couldn't find her anywhere. So I told him to check her apartment. I'm sorry!" she squeaked, as Erza's eyes flashed.

"That moron's going to ruin everything!" Erza hissed dangerously, and sped off. Wendy watched her, quite bewildered, before turning to Carla and sighing.

"I really don't know who to ask," she confessed, gathering up her things and getting ready to head home. "I mean, if Mest were here, I'd ask him in a heartbeat, but everybody else I know is either already S-Class or in the running!"

"That's not true," Carla retorted, scanning her memory for potential partners. "There's…uh….hmmm."

"See?" Wendy said. She sighed, and then an idea struck her. "Hey, Carla! Why don't you take a peek and look to see who I end up partnering with? I bet that would save us a lot of trouble!"

"That would be a self-fulfilling prophecy, Wendy," Carla replied crossly. "You know how bothersome I find those." She huffed, and then turned back to her, looking serious. "What if…what if _I_ was your partner? I could help you out a lot, you know – fly you around, tell you what's about to happen – Wendy, I might even be able to make you S-Class!"

Wendy's eyes shone. "You'd do that for me?" she exclaimed, pressing her hands to her heart. "Oh, Carla!"

Carla shrugged, smiling softly. "Well, if that idiot male cat could do such a good job protecting Natsu on the last Exam, then it's safe to say you and I would make a great team."

Wendy giggled, and hugged Carla. "Weren't we one already?"

…

"Guys," Levy said briskly, walking up to Jet and Droy. They dropped their heated discussion as soon as her small shadow passed over them.

"Hey, Levy," Jet greeted.

"How's it going?" Droy asked.

"I'm going to tell you both this only once, so you had better listen up and pay close attention, okay?" she asked, adding a smile to try and make her words less severe. "In short and simple terms, I'm not going to pick either of you as my S-Class partner, so don't even try and fight over it. Got that?"

The boys' jaws dropped. "Wh – why not?" they complained simultaneously.

"Because," Levy said, exasperated. "I don't want to have to pick between my two best friends, and if I really was your best friend, you wouldn't make me. It's too much stress, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Therefore, neither of you get to be my partner."

"That doesn't save anybody's feelings!" Droy cried, reaching for some nearby cream puffs. "In fact, it actually makes it kind of worse that you didn't even stop to consider one of us for your partner."

"I'm sorry," Levy said truthfully. "I just wanted to be fair to you two. I as actually going to ask Lily, but I think he's somewhere off with Gajeel-"

"I'm just glad you're not partnered with him again," Jet interrupted, spitting out the word 'him' as if it tasted foul in his mouth. "That, I think it's safe to say, was a catastrophe."

"Aw, come on, guys," Levy protested, her memory flashing back to all the time they'd spent on the island together. She cleared her throat. "He's such a good guy. He's changed so much ever since-"

"_Don't_ remind me, Shrimp," came Gajeel's low growl. Levy's heart jumped and her breath caught in her throat as she turned to see him standing behind her. "I've had a hard enough time trying to wash my hands of that without it haunting me in my dreams every so often."

"Gajeel!" Shadow Gear exclaimed. Jet and Droy threw dirty looks in his direction as Levy led him away from their table, out of earshot from her two friends.

"What's up?" she asked, noting that something about him seemed off.

He shifted uncomfortably. "I just…wanted to say congratulations on making it back into the ranks."

Levy beamed. "You too, Gajeel! This is your first time, isn't it? Let me tell you, it takes somebody with high skill and prestige to become S-Class their second year of being in the guild!"

He grinned at that. "Hey, you're pretty tough yourself, Shorty."

She looked down in order to stop herself from blushing. "Well…at any rate, it'll be different without you there. Now, I can't even think of anyone else who I'd rather have as my partner."

The words came out terribly wrong, and an alarm sounded in her head as he turned his black eyes onto her, making her heart speed up and her muscles freeze as she waited to see if he had understood her meaning, but he continued on completely oblivious, and she breathed a secret sigh of relief.

"…who you end up with," Gajeel was saying. "I mean, obviously you can't have me or Pantherlily as your partner-"

"What?!" Levy asked, caught by surprise. "Why can't I have Pantherlily?"

Gajeel looked at her like she was crazy. "Because he's _my_ partner. Didn't I just say that?"

"Oh," she said, disappointed. "Aw, Gajeel. I was going to ask him. Now I have no idea who to ask!"

Gajeel frowned. "There's always Lucy. Aren't you two like girlfriends or something?"

Levy shook her head. "Eh, I can't find her, and Natsu probably asked already."

"Okay, uh…Laki? Kinana? Porlyusica?" Levy gave him a look. "Well, you gotta pick a partner sometime, Shrimp!"

"Levy?" came a voice, and they both turned to see Freed walking towards them, eyeing the Solid Script mage eagerly. Gajeel frowned. "Did I just hear you say that you didn't have a partner for the S-Class test yet?"

"Ah, well, no," she said, surprised. "Actually, I don't. Gajeel was just helping me think of people before you came."

"I'll do it." Freed said solemnly, walking straight up to Levy and staring at her intently. "I'll be your partner for the Trials. It would be an honor to help you achieve the rank of S-Class this year. I swear I can get you through any obstacle, protect you from any harm, and help you be victorious. If you'll allow me to, that is. Will you, Levy?"

"You don't have to make it sound like a proposal," Gajeel said gruffly, but was interrupted by Levy's squeal of joy.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said, throwing her arms around Freed in excitement. "You're not pulling my leg, are you Freed? You'll really do it?"

Freed nodded. "I can only hope to learn from you throughout our journey, and grow in wisdom beside you."

"Oh, sure," Levy said, taking his arm cheerfully. "You know there are runes in many different languages, right? At least 37 of the ancient Fiorean tribes had their own dialect, and if you carefully analyze the etymology of modern-day hieroglyphics, you'll see that they're derived from a multitude of prehistoric alchemic texts…"

They walked off, engaged in deep conversation about word origins and such, while Gajeel, Jet, and Droy were left standing in the dust, gaping after them.

Jet closed his mouth. "Hey Gajeel. You ever taken an assassination job?"

Gajeel glared at them and stormed away.

…

"Alright, that just leaves you, Natsu," Mira Jane told the boy, recording Freed and Levy's new partnership on a clipboard. "You'd better get a move on. The Exams are in five days."

Natsu cursed loudly. "Lucy's been up there for a day and a half! What am I supposed to do, Mira? I can't just _not_ have her as my partner."

"Oh, Lucy?" Mira Jane said, tilting her head to look at him. "I should have told you before. Master forbade her from partnering with any of the candidates for the Exam. You'll have to choose somebody else, Natsu. I'm sorry."

"What?!" Natsu yelped, jumping up from his seat. "Lucy can't participate?"

Mira Jane shook her head.

He gaped at her, realizing that she was serious. "But…_why_? That doesn't even make sense!"

Mira Jane shrugged, and smiled mysteriously. "It's a secret."

Natsu paused for a moment to think. "Does this have anything to do with her going up to the Celestial Spirit World with Loke?"

The bartender stopped in her tracks. "How do you know about that?" she asked sharply, whirling on him. "Did she tell you anything?"

Natsu shrank back. "No. I climbed in through her window and saw her disappear with Loke. And she's been gone for a day and a half, too," he said glumly, sinking back in his chair. "So she can't participate, huh? Well, now what am I supposed to do?"

Suddenly a crash resounded through the guild hall as none other than Romeo Conbolt fell through the roof, his clothes slightly singed and smoking, and landing directly behind Natsu with a painful crash. He jumped up angrily, conjuring up two fistfuls of purple flame and shrieking at Max that he would get him back for that.

Natsu blinked, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Oi, Romeo!" he called. "Come over here for a sec, will ya?"

…

**A/n: Yay! This one took a while. Sorry!**

**So maybe you're wondering about some of the pairings. Allow me to explain:**

**Gray x Juvia: Because they're meant to be and I will stick them in a closet together if I have to. **

**Elfman x Evergreen: Well, isn't it obvious?**

**Lisanna x Yukino: I like them as friends, and their personalities seem really compatible. I dunno about their powers, though. **

**Cana x Bisca: They seem well suited to work together, idk. Both are, like, sassy, and very strong females. **

**Wendy x Carla: Made perfect sense to me. **

**Gajeel x Pantherlily: I really wanted Lily to be in the scene, but it just didn't work. Anyways, they do seem like an unstoppable force, don't they?**

**Levy x Freed: I think their powers would work really well together, and that they have a lot to learn about magic from each other. **

**Natsu x Romeo: It seemed like a cute idea! Plus, I like Romeo, he's like Natsu's little clone lol. **

**More to come! Next chapter: Lucy's negotiation with the Celestial Spirit King. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Ah…you have really nice taste, Loke," Lucy told him, admiring her Celestial Spirit clothes in the mirror.

Loke nodded approvingly. "I couldn't invite my master up here and not have you dressed any less beautifully than you deserve."

Lucy smiled, and twirled around, enjoying the floaty blue fabric as it danced around her like wind through clouds. "It looks almost like Cinderella's dress…just without the weird sleeves and less poofy."

She turned to him, clapping her hands. "Alright then. Will you take me to the King, please? I don't want to spend too much time away from earth. I have to be back by tomorrow to make preparations for the Trials."

He took her arm. "Right away, Lucy. Come with me."

He reached up into the air and grabbed a streak of light that was passing overhead. It flashed neon colors in his hand as he lowered it to the ground, and before their very eyes grew into a large, flat board, with indents on opposite sides.

Lucy gaped. "Just what is that supposed to be?!"

"Oh, it's a shooting star," Loke said casually, stepping onto the glowing platform. "We use them sort of like the humans use trains or buses on Earth. I assure you it's quite safe, Lucy. Come on, we've got no time to waste."

"Ooh!" she yelped, as he yanked her hand and pulled her onto the board. It glowed brilliantly in a flash of millions of colors, and then sped off, soaring down the main road towards the Celestial Spirit castle. Lucy felt her hair whip back and her eyes begin to water, but her loud shriek was lost in the roar of the wind. And before she knew it, they were at the gates of the castle.

"Wow," Lucy said, fixing her hair. "That was brief."

"Can we speak to the King?" Loke asked the guards at the front. They looked at each other, and one of them lifted their helmets. Lucy was shocked to see that though he had the figure of a man, his head was one of a dog.

"You can go in Leo, but it's no guarantee that he'll see you," said the dog-man. "He's supposed to be meeting with some contractors today to negotiate the construction of a new galaxy. I heard it's gonna be another shopping center," he added, winking at Loke. "Another place to take your dates, eh Simba?"

Lucy scoffed. "I'm pretty sure that can wait," she said, and strode into the gates. Loke stuttered, making as though to stop her but hesitating at the last moment. The guards watched her go in amazement.

"Was that a human?" the other one asked.

"Yeah," Loke said, rubbing his neck nervously. "My Keyholder, actually."

"She's got an awfully large amount of power for a human," the guard commented. "I can feel it radiating off her in waves. It's kind of daunting."

"Oh, shut up," Loke snapped, and ran in after Lucy.

It wasn't hard for her to find the place where the King was at. She could hear his booming voice all the way from the entrance hall, and marched fearlessly into his throne room. It was really something impressive, and momentarily took her breath away; twinkling stars hung like thousands of little lights all around the perimeter, and the view from the windows was of different solar systems and nebulas. She walked in and saw that the floor was made entirely of light lavender clouds.

"Nice to see you, old friend," boomed the King, and Lucy snapped her head back up, closing her jaw after realizing she had it hanging open. "To what do I owe the intrusion?"

Thinking it would be wise to start off on his good side, Lucy covered up her blush with a low curtsy. "The thing is, Your Majesty," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I'd like to ask you for a favor."

The King cocked his head, and motioned for her to continue.

"My guild – Fairy Tail – Leo's told you about it, right?" she laughed nervously, looking at the lion spirit in question, who seemed fascinated by his shoes at the moment. "Well, the time of year has come for us to hold Wizarding Exams, and put certain members to the test to see which one of them is worthy of the rank of S-Class. And so, my Master has asked me to implore your benevolence and allow our guild to hold the Trials in your world."

"Of course!" the King roared, much to Lucy's surprise. "We haven't had anything exciting happen as of late, and you, my old friend, are always so amusing to watch."

"I – what?" Lucy asked, her temper flaring. Loke, however, caught her eye and motioned for her to continue on. "That is – really? Just like that?"

"Well, there must be certain conditions, of course," said the King, standing up and signaling his scribe to write down what he was about to say.

"Yes, conditions!" Lucy answered, intimidated by his immense size.

"First, you must know that we will not allow for any sort of time manipulation magic while you are present in the Celestial Spirit World," he said, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. "It could cause great discrepancies in the time-space continuum, and that would be quite the mess to sort out. You and your friends will be given a link to the time flow of Earthland, so that when you return to your home, you will be properly aligned with the time-space there."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. She found it harder to view this as a condition than as an added bonus. She'd had enough trouble from time flow disruptions to last her a lifetime.

"Second," he roared, snapping her out of her reverie. "I and my subjects must be allowed to watch the progress of the Trials. We will not interfere," he added, when Lucy opened her mouth to speak. "We only wish to follow along on this adventure of yours for our amusement. None of my Spirits will have any part in the outcome of your Exam."

"Ah – well, you'll have to make an exception for Yukino's Spirits," Lucy replied, recalling her battle with the soft-spoken girl. "They're the only powers she can use."

The King nodded approvingly. "Very well, then. Take that down!" he boomed at the scribe, who jumped and began to scribble furiously on his clipboard.

"And that just about does it," he continued, walking over to the window and looking out. "Do you understand these terms, my dear old friend?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lucy answered, bowing once more. "And thank you so much. Fairy Tail…really owes you, Sire. If there's ever anything we can do…"

The King waved his hand dismissively. "You are kind, and righteous, and brave. That is more than enough for the entire sum of all the Spirits in the universe, including me. There has never been a Keyholder like you, Lucy Heartfilia, and your friendship is one of the greatest treasures we could ever possess. You will never be indebted to us."

Lucy's eyes filled with tears. "Aw, Mustache. I love you too."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .

In a brilliant flash of light, Lucy was back in her living room, the contract she'd signed on behalf of Fairy Tail clutched tightly in her hand. In her other hand, to her surprise, was none other but Loke's.

"Ah – I didn't see you come back with me," she said awkwardly, releasing herself from his grip. "Did you need something?"

He pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "You, Lucy."

She reached for her keys, preparing to force his gate closed. "Bye, Loke."

"No, wait!" he cried, stopping her wrist. "To be serious, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Can you consider lifting our contract again, just for the S-Class test?"

Lucy blinked at him. "Wait – last time you did that on your own. Why ask my permission, if you can come and go as you please?"

He flushed. "Well, actually, it's because you've gotten more powerful. Your increased gravity draws all your Spirits closer to you like magnets, and it's especially hard to break away from you because of that. So, the only way now for me to be freed is to have you do it."

"Oh," Lucy said understandingly. "Okay, but why?"

"I want to be able to protect you during the Trials," he said, his expression darkening. "You couldn't tell from the way the King acts, but there's turmoil amongst our friends in high places."

Lucy frowned. "Turmoil? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you know," he said, shrugging. "Rebellion. Uprising. The rise of a powerful enemy. The usual."

"Really?" she asked, biting her lip. "Someone's trying to overthrow the King?"

"It's just rumors, mostly," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "But I've heard tell of one of the more powerful Spirits gaining influence on the Ecliptic. And if he ends up conquering an entire hemisphere, he'll probably go for the Zodiacs first. It's nothing to be scared of," he added, seeing the look on her face. "But I just wanted to let you know, in case something goes wrong while all our friends are up there. There's nobody more powerful than the King, so you can rest assured that you'll be safe under his watch."

"Well, alright," Lucy answered, still skeptical. "But it's still kind of ominous, anyway. Thanks for helping, Loke."

He smiled brightly at her. "My offer of marriage still stands."

"I'll take a rain check on that," Lucy told him, and with a wave of her key closed his gate. "Now," she

Said, placing her hands on her hips and turning to look for her coat. "I should probably head back to the guild and let the others know that the deal is set. Wanna come, Plue?"

Plue shuddered, and followed her out the door.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Natsu was entangled in the middle of one of his bar fights when he caught a whiff of clean vanilla in the air. He jumped up, leaving Gray to Erza's mercy, and ran out the doors to verify if his sense of smell still worked. A smile of relief stretched across his face when he saw Lucy, silhouetted against the setting sun, walking towards him and waving.

"Oh, you're back!" he greeted, running up to meet her. "You were up there for a day and a half, you know."

"Ah, really?" she asked, looking sheepish. "Sorry. It was kind of unexpected. But, I'm here now! Did you find us any new jobs while I was gone?"

"Oh, no," Natsu replied. "I was waiting for you."

Lucy was silent for a moment, and then smiled at him. "Well, anyways, why don't we go back to the guild? I need to tell Master something."

"Kay," he said, and grabbed her hand. "But let's hurry – I think Erza's about to pound Gray into the floor for freezing off her clothes, and I wanna watch."

For whatever reason, Lucy didn't let go of his hand the entire way there. He wouldn't have noticed but for the empty feeling that followed after she left to speak privately with Makarov in his office. He didn't have much time to think on it, however, for Gray had seen him return and promptly re-instigated their battle. Ten minutes later, Lucy found them both pinned to the wall by their shirts, with Erza calmly sitting at their feet enjoying a piece of cake.

"Uh…I sort of need this one for the night," Lucy said, pointing at Natsu. "Mind taking him down?"

"For the night?" Erza asked.

"N-not like that!" she replied, blushing. "We were just going to hang out!"

"Oh, okay," Erza said, though Lucy noticed she didn't sound convinced. "By the way – did you do it?"

Lucy stared at her. "Oh! Oh, the thing – yeah, that's all taken care of. And I know I can't talk about it in front of these two," she said, lowering her voice. "But we actually got a pretty sweet deal. I'll tell you all about it later."

Erza's eyes flashed. "Sounds intriguing. Here," she said, shoving Natsu roughly into her. "Go deal with him over there. I don't want to see his face right now."

"What did you do?" Lucy whispered, noting the murderous glare she threw his way.

"Oh, I dared Gray to steal her cake."

"Yeah, and how did that go?"

"Well, you saw."

They laughed, and at that moment, Natsu realized that he had missed her more than was reasonable.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Lucy heard a loud crash coming from her living room, and jumped out of the shower, fuming.

"What did I tell you, Natsu?!" she said angrily, wrapping a towel around her body and storming into the room. "Climbing in through the window is breaking and – Mira Jane!"

The takeover mage turned to look at her with clear blue eyes. "Hello, Lucy. Expecting someone?"

Lucy blushed. "No. What are you doing here, Mira?"

"I came for your blueprints," she said, smiling good-naturedly. "I have to submit them to the Master tomorrow morning, and the only ones I don't have yet are yours. Do you mind?"

"My blueprints?" Lucy asked, feeling her heart drop. "Ah – for what, exactly?"

Mira Jane's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean nobody told you?" Lucy felt panic begin to set in as Mira looked at her worriedly. "Each of the examiners had to come up with a trial to give the candidates It has to measure their worth and loyalty, and whatever else you think is needed for an S-Class wizard."

"A trial? Okay," Lucy said, flitting over to her desk and ruffling around for a blank piece of paper. "I can make a trial. What did you and the others come up with, Mira?"

Mira Jane told her.

"Oh, I get it," Lucy said, the panic beginning to recede. "Okay, that makes sense. Can you wait a minute? I just need to…"

"Take your time," Mira Jane said amicably. "I don't have to submit them until morning. Do you need any help?"

"No," Lucy answered, her pen flying over the paper. "I've got it. Here," she said, handing the paper over to her. "How does that look?"

Mira glanced it over, her eyebrows climbing higher and higher with every sentence she read.

"Is it okay?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Okay?" Mira said, standing up. "Lucy, this is brilliant. I've never seen anybody come up with such detailed plans on the spot. That's the talent of a writer, then, huh?"

"Yeah," Lucy said, relieved. "Wait, how do you know about that?"

"I'll take these straight to Makarov then," Mira Jane said, sliding Lucy's blueprints into a neat binder. "I don't think they need any modifications, but he's going to check, just to make sure everything fits with his plan. You really surprised me, Lucy. With brains like yours, you could have had quite a shot at winning this thing if they'd let you participate."

Lucy beamed. "Really? You think so?"

"Oh, yeah," Mira Jane said, smiling. "You sure are full of surprises, aren't you?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**A/N: Gomeeeen neeeeee**

**I know, I haven't updated in a while, but I'm like Lucy: nobody lets me write in peace. **

**That was NOT LoLu, btw, but that **_**was**_** Nalu if you caught it. The trials won't be revealed until they take place, so sorry about that. But, the Exams should start next chapter, so be prepared!**

**Don't hate me pleeeeeaseeee…there'll be more coming soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

Gray groaned as the harsh rings of his alarm clock shattered his sleep, and he rolled over without lifting his face from his pillow, reaching an arm out to put an end to the thing. He grasped nothing but air, however, and suddenly the loud piercing shrieks were quieted. Confused, he cracked one eye open to see what had happened, and found himself staring into the ocean blue eyes of none other than Juvia Lockser.

"What the -?" the yelped, jumping up from the bed. "Juvia! Wh-what are you doing in my room?"

"Juvia came to wake Gray-sama up," she replied, returning the alarm to his bedside table. "But Gray looked so peaceful as he slept that she did not want to disturb him. Ah, not that Juvia was watching him sleep or anything," she said hastily, a blush covering her cheeks as she saw the look on his face. "It's just that Juvia – Juvia remembered we have to go and –"

"What?!" Gray roared, jumping out of the bed and hastily putting his pants back on. "What do you mean, it's time to go?"

"Well, everybody else has already left-"

"Oh, my God!" Gray grabbed her wrist and ran towards the door. "C'mon, Juvia, we gotta go!"

"Gray-sama, your shirt!"

"Ah!"

Gray made it fully clothed out onto the street, but after a minute, realized he had no idea where he was going. He turned to Juvia, who was gazing at him with a faraway look.

"Juvia," he said, waving his hand in her face. "Juvia, we have to focus right now. Do you know where we're supposed to meet?"

"Oh," she said, snapping back to attention. "Lucy's house. Did no one tell Gray-sama?"

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"Alright, now that the lovebirds are finally here," Lucy said, shooting a glare in Gray and Juvia's direction as they crept into the room. "And I see you actually used the door this time. Congratulations. We can finally get down to business."

The guild members all quieted down and turned their attention to the front, where Lucy was standing with Erza, Mira Jane, Laxus, Gildarts, and Makarov.

"What did we miss?" Gray whispered to Cana, who to his surprise did not reek of alcohol.

"Nothing much, but Natsu sure got quite the beating after he read us a page out of Lucy's novel while she was in the bathroom." Here she winked suggestively. "He's really dense, isn't he?"

Gray smirked. "Awesome, maybe she inadvertently gave him a concussion and upped my chances of winning this thing. What do you think, Juvia?"

"Juvia thinks Cana is too old for Gray-sama."

"Who are you calling old?!"

"Everybody, take one of these," said Erza, handing out a lacrima tablet to each pair. "It's a map of the Exam site. It's going to be very hard to navigate around without one, so make sure you don't misplace it. Also, the location of each test will be highlighted after your completion of the previous one."

"Each test?" Romeo asked curiously. "You mean, there's more than one?"

"We have designed six challenges for you to overcome," Makarov explained. "One for each of your examiners. The candidate who clears all six challenges wins, and will be crowned with the rank of S-Class. You will have no prior knowledge of what these challenges will be, and they will each test your capabilities, intelligence, willpower, and loyalty. That is what it takes to be S-Class!" he finished, staring at them seriously.

"And what happens to the people who lose the first five challenges?" Natsu asked warily.

"They will be sent straight back to Earthland," Gildarts answered him.

There was a stunned silence, and then a collective cry of "Back to Earthland?!"

"Are you all ready?" Laxus asked, walking over to join the other examiners. "Lucy, take it away!"

"Right," she nodded, drawing out a large, glittering key. "Everyone, hold hands and stand in a circle please."

"Where'd you get that one, Lucy?" Yukino asked, staring. "It looks as if it's made of stars."

She merely winked at her. "Gate of the King, I open thee! Seireio!"

The world around them seemed to dissolve, and floating orbs glowing all the colors of the rainbow began spinning around them, faster and faster, encircling the group in a glowing dome of light. The wind picked up and blew about, making the colors seem to burst and blend together, and then suddenly it died down, and they were all standing in front of a grand castle, dressed in matching stellar uniforms.

"It can't be!" muttered Freed, taking a step back and gaping at his surroundings. "Is this – the Spirit World?"

"Part of it," Lucy said cheerfully, coming forward. "This is the home of the Celestial Spirits. Their king very kindly agreed to let us have our Exams here this year."

"It will test your ability to adapt to an unfamiliar environment," said Erza. "Making it a sort of trial in itself."

"What are these?" asked Pantherlily, pointing to a gold medallion with strange inscriptions that was hanging around all the members' necks. The candidates looked around at each other, as if to verify that all the fairies had one.

"They're time-links," Lucy said. "In the Celestial Spirit world, time flows differently than on Earthland. One day here equals about three months there. So, to ensure that we don't return to earth a good three months younger than everyone else, the King had me promise to wear these. They'll keep our bodies connected to Earth time, so make sure you don't take them off."

"The first trial will begin right now," said Makarov. "And your examiner – Mira Jane Strauss. Good luck and remember; S-Class or not, you are still a Fairy Tail wizard, and therefore the best in the world. Godspeed, everyone!"

The other five took a step back while Lucy raised her arms, and they disappeared in a flash. Mira Jane grinned at them, and all of a sudden, the platform they were all standing on rotated, and a star right above them fell gently, dissipating as it went and sending light around them in the shape of a dome, encasing them.

"Oh, great," Evergreen muttered to Elfman. "We had such a hard time defeating her last time too…"

"Hi," said Mira, waving sunnily. "It's time for the first challenge of the S-Class Exams, X791. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on!" cried Natsu, his hands bursting into flames. "C'mon, Romeo, we can take her!"

"Right!" Romeo answered, and both of them sprinted at her with appalling force, only to be flung back by a powerful whip of the suddenly transformed Mira Jane's tail.

"There won't be any fighting in this challenge, Natsu," she said, reverting back to her original form. "Actually, I'm going to be giving you a riddle."

"What?!" roared Gajeel, making Lisanna beside him jump. "Are you messing with us? What kind of challenge is that?"

"An intellect challenge," Mira answered, holding up her lacrima tablet. "Here in Fairy Tail, we want our S-Class wizards to think a certain way. The riddle I will give you should test that. Once I give the question, write your answers on your tablets, and it will immediately be transmitted to mine."

"They can do that?" Wendy said, examining her tablet. "Awesome!"

"We asked Hibiki Lates from Blue Pegasus to set something up for us," Mira explained. "But yes, these tablets will be your best friends during this test, so make sure no harm comes to them. Now, are you ready for the riddle?"

"A riddle is good!" Levy whispered to Freed. "We'll move ahead in no time!"

Cana and Bisca exchanged worried looks. "Mira's riddles don't actually make sense all the time…"

"The question is this:" she declared, clapping her hands together.

"_I am a book which can't be read,_

_Out of the dark I have you led,_

_And for my sake you have shed tears,_

_As I protect you through the years._

_I hold within a knight and dragons,_

_In me blow blizzards, rainstorms, and stars._

_You're lost without me, this is true,_

_But I'd be nothing if not for you._

"_What am I?"_

"Oh, and if you need to see it again," Mira Jane added. "It's on your tablets. Otherwise, I'll be taking my leave now, so make sure you try your best. You may not help each other, and you will not pass if you submit the wrong answer or none at all. You have one hour. Until later!" And she disappeared in a flash.

"I know what it is," Gajeel muttered, much to Lily's surprise. "She really couldn't come up with anything more original?"

"Tell me," said Lily, and gave a nod of understanding as Gajeel whispered the answer in his ear. "Ah, that makes sense. But, are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied, grinning. "This is gonna be a piece of cake."

On the other side of the crowd, Elfman and Evergreen were having a much harder time.

"I'm telling you, it's "time," he insisted, beginning to sound annoyed. "You're getting the clues all mixed up!"

"No, it's 'the world', don't you listen?" Evergreen snapped back. "Time doesn't have blizzards and rainstorms in it, and it can be read! History books, remember?"

"The world doesn't have stars in it!" Elfman growled. "Stars are in space!"

"No they aren't, they're in the Celestial Spirit world, which is part of _the_ world."

"There aren't any stars here! Just magical representations of them. See? There's not even the sun."

"The sun isn't a star, Elfman!"

"Wha – yes it is!"

"No, it's the sun!"

"No, it's a planet," Natsu interjected, making Elfman and Evergreen stare. "Igneel said he was from there."

Not far away, Wendy and Carla sat thinking on the ground, Wendy's tablet gripped firmly in her hands.

"I have no idea, Carla," she said miserably. "I can't believe it. Did I come all this way just to lose to a riddle?"

"You aren't going to lose, Wendy," Carla said impatiently. "Just think! That riddle seems laced with clues, we only have to put them together."

Wendy chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Hmm…well, I do have one idea…"

Her hands twitched, and then she quickly wrote her answer on the tablet and sent it in.

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Elfman and Evergreen were engulfed in the middle of a heated argument when suddenly all the Fairy Tail members around them began to glow brilliantly, and in a nanosecond were all standing outside the dome. The couple stopped in their tracks, and exchanged looks of confusion.

"Elfman Strauss," boomed Makarov's voice within the dome. "You have failed to complete the first challenge. Please return with your partner to Earthland immediately."

Elfman spluttered, and before he knew it, the entire world dissolved like it had the first time, only to instantaneously re-form into the familiar surroundings of Lucy's apartment.

"You idiot!" Evergreen shrieked, slapping his arm. "You didn't put down the answer! You couldn't even pass the first challenge!"

Elfman placed his head in his hands. "I know. I'm such a failure."

Ever's angry expression melted off when she caught the distressed look on his face. "H-hey," she said, her voice softened. "I didn't mean that, you know. I just – I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Elfman said, surprised. "You did all you could for me. I just didn't have the brains to figure out that stupid riddle…"

"No," she cut him off, looking away. "I wasted all your time trying to argue with you. I'm the stupid one, not you."

Elfman considered her carefully. "I guess that just makes us better suited to each other, then."

Evergreen looked up in surprise, and he turned bright red.

"N-not like that! I-I mean-"

"Elfman."

"Yeah?"

"Buy me dinner or I'll turn you to stone."

"…Sounds fair."

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"Ah, figures they'd be the first ones out," Mira Jane sighed. "They can't really focus around each other."

"Good riddle, though, Mira," Master said approvingly. "It wasn't easy, but I'm glad seven out of eight contestants got it right."

"Where'd you come up with that, anyways?" Gildarts asked curiously. "It was pretty creative."

"Oh, well I was thinking to myself, what should Fairy Tail S-Class members come straight to for answers?" she said, settling down in her seat at the judges panel. It was a U-shaped table, bordering the edge of a large viewing pool that kept flashing images of all the candidates' progress. The Celestial Spirits in the stands that had come to watch were cheering and clapping as Lucy came into view to give the next challenge. "And then I thought, well, S-Class members should be loyal first and foremost to the guild, in both heart and mind. So naturally, 'Fairy Tail' would be the first thing they should think of when any sort of problem arises. I'm glad they all got it," she grinned. "I was worried nobody would pass that level."

"Good thinking," Erza praised. "Now let's see how Lucy's challenge goes, shall we?"

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"Musca!" cried a voice, and the spirit turned to see an out-of-breath guard running towards him.

"Musca, one of the Twelve has been attacked!"

"_What_?!" cried Musca, his eyes widening in shock. "Of the Twelve _Zodiac_? Which one? Who did it? What happened?"

"It's Sagittarius," the guard said, panting. "We're not sure, but it looks like he was trying to stop somebody from getting into the castle. There are arrows everywhere, and some strange tracks all over the entrance. Everything's a mess, but Sagittarius should be fine – he's recuperating as we speak."

"Did he see who it was?" Musca frowned. "Maybe he can identify his attacker before they harm anyone else."

"No," said the guard. "I don't know anything but what I told you, but since you're the king's messenger, you need to inform him of what's happened and then begin an investigation."

Musca thought for a moment. "Has anyone informed Sagittarius's Keyholder?"

"The king forbade any spirits except for Libra, Pisces, and Ophiuchus to have any contact with the humans," the guard replied nervously. "Listen, Orion's already taking a patrol into the castle to search for any intruders, and I've posted sentry's all around the arenas where the humans are to ensure their safety. Just go and tell the King, and then go check in with Orion. Maybe together you two can find out who did it."

"Right," Musca said, looking troubled. "Thanks for telling me. Get back to your post."

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**A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading all the way down to the bottom. **

**If you were wondering, Musca is the fly constellation. He's best seen in May at 9:pm (PT) and is located between latitudes 10 and -90.**

**Also, I promise Mira's challenge was the most boring one. The rest really start messing with people's heads, heheee XD. BTW, the answer was "Fairy Tail", if you missed it. **

**Did you like the Gruvia and Elfever? I did!**


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy had been feeling strange all morning. Perhaps it was due to the cancellation of all her Celestial Spirit contracts at one time, or perhaps it was because she was nervous about giving her first exam as an S-Class judge. Either way, when she walked out onto the Milky Way to greet the candidates, she did her absolute best to make her forced smile seem natural.

A deafening roar of applause sounded when she came into view, and turning to look over her shoulder, she saw what looked like the entire population of the Celestial Spirit World on their feet, cheering and clapping at the sight of her. It added to her headache, but she was touched nonetheless, and the smile began to feel real. As she came closer to the awaiting group, she noticed Natsu looking at her curiously.

"You okay?" he mouthed, his expression concerned.

"Yeah," she mouthed back, giving him a thumbs-up. "Good luck!"

Natsu grinned, and turned back to Romeo, resuming whatever conversation they'd been having. Lucy sighed in relief. Natsu should be his own biggest concern at the moment, not her.

"Alright, everyone, welcome to the second challenge of this year's S-Class Test!" Lucy proclaimed, calling everyone's attention to her. The applause quieted down and Lucy took a deep breath; she felt slightly lightheaded.

"I've designed for a challenge of mind for you," she continued, making sure to choose her words carefully. "As soon as I step off this galaxy, it will become your entire playing field. You may not go beyond the Milky Way's boundaries, and make sure you watch out for black holes, because if you get sucked into one, you will be sent straight back to Earthland."

A silence greeted her words, and then Cana spoke up, saying, "I thought we already had a challenge of the mind though…"

"That was intellect," Mira Jane's bodiless voice said from somewhere above them. "What I tested you on was the way you think. Lucy's test will challenge what you can _do_ with the way you think."

"Exactly," said Lucy, drawing some confidence from the sudden fear in their faces. "We are now standing at the very edge of the Milky Way: My challenge to you is to get to the other side. You will have one hour. Anyone who does not reach the finish line inside the time limit will be disqualified. Any questions?"

The candidates all exchanged nervous looks.

"It can't really be that easy," Gray said disbelievingly. "You're kidding us, right Lucy?"

"Nope," she answered. "Just get to the other side – if you can!"

And she turned and jumped off the edge of the galaxy, disappearing in a flash. At the same time, a white line appeared several hundred feet away from the group, reading START.

"Woah, look you guys!" said Wendy. "The entire galaxy is mapped out for us on our lacrima tablets!"

"Why would we need a map?" Bisca asked. "All we need to do is cross to the other side." She pointed to the far end of the galaxy, where the finish line was clearly marked. As if to prove how easy it was, she strode over and set her foot across the start line, but promptly disappeared into thin air.

"Bisca!" Cana yelled, running after her. "Bisca, wait!" And she disappeared as well, leaving the rest of them in stunned silence.

"Lucy wouldn't give us anything too difficult," Yukino said to Lisanna. "Right?"

Lisanna bit her lip. "From what I've heard from Natsu, she's capable of some really impressive magic. I think she chose the Milky Way as her challenge because that's where all her stars are, and she knows its construction. But I don't believe she'd make it as easy as it sounds…"

"I guess we'll have to see, then," Yukino said, turning to look at the start line. "Let's go, Lisanna!"

They followed Cana and Bisca across the line, but as soon as they set foot over it, the world around them exploded like a million fireworks going off at once. All the stars in the sky began to clump together, forming dazzling orbs that began spinning faster and faster around the pair until the light they emitted was close to blinding, and then they all scattered and dispersed, leaving Yukino and Lisanna floating in outer space, with nothing but the glow of the trillions of stars around them to light their way.

"Amazing," breathed Lisanna. "I've never seen magic like this."

"I don't think we're actually in space," said Yukino, and she stretched her legs down to assume a standing position. "It feels more like being underwater than actually weightless."

"The map says to go straight," Lisanna said, showing her the tablet. "And I think we've only got fifty-five minutes left to cross a whole galaxy. We should get going."

"But I can see the finish line from here," Yukino said, pointing. Sure enough, a clear white line was drawn not even two hundred feet away from the pair, the word FINISH clearly visible from where they were floating.

"What is this?" Lisanna asked. "Lucy sure gave us a weird challenge."

Yukino looked over her shoulder. "I don't see Cana or Bisca. Or any of the others, to be exact. Do you think we've been isolated from them somehow?"

Lisanna frowned, staring off into the distance. "It can't be…hey, Yukino, that's not Elfman over there, is it?"

Yukino looked towards the direction she was pointing and saw a massive hulking figure making its way towards them, waving. Beside him was a more petite outline of a young girl with flowing hair.

"It might be," she answered. "And I think your sister's with him, too."

She was right. As they approached, it became clear that it was Elfman and Mira Jane. But something was wrong with them. Horribly wrong. As their faces became clearer, she saw that they were also covered in horrible deep gashes that were spurting blood from them like a fountain.

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Natsu had followed Gray and Juvia into the Milky Way, determined to pass them on the way to the finish line. He had not expected, however, to run straight into the middle of outer space, and accidentally sent himself tumbling.

"Romeo!" he cried, spitting fire as he went. "Get me down from here!"

Romeo kicked hard, and found himself zooming straight at his partner. "Natsu, look out!"

"What did she do to us?" Natsu yelled, and set his hands ablaze. He took off almost like a rocket, and crashed directly into Romeo. "Geez, Lucy, who knew you could do magic like this?"

"Ugh," Romeo groaned, holding his stomach where Natsu's elbow had left its mark. "Well, the good news is that I can see the finish line from here."

"Oh, yeah," Natsu said, catching sight of the gleaming white line. "But it doesn't look like the length of an entire galaxy. Ah, well, Lucy was never one to make sense."

"None of the others are here," Romeo said, looking around. "We crossed the line a second after Gray and Juvia, and I could have sworn Levy and Freed were right behind us. This is all so weird."

Natsu was about to order Romeo to follow him to the finish line, but stopped dead when he caught a distinctly familiar smell in the air. It was warm; like embers, or magma – but it couldn't be…there was no way…

"Igneel?" he whispered, turning around to search for the source. "Romeo, do you-?"

But Romeo was staring with a look of pure horror at a dark shape several hundred feet away. It appeared to be the form of a man, who was writhing and contorting every which as if being pulled by puppet strings, and his faint cries of "Romeo! Help! _Romeo_!" were agonizing enough to send chills down Natsu's spine.

"It's Macao," he breathed. "What…?"

He turned back to the direction in which Igneel's scent was coming from, and felt his muscles go weak as he heard Igneel's roar. It was piercing, and anguished, and the amount of pain contained in that one sound sent Natsu's blood cold. It was so close, but no matter which way he turned, he saw no trace of his father anywhere.

"Igneel!" Natsu cried, blind panic beginning to set in. If anything happened to him, and he couldn't do anything to help, he wouldn't be able to bear it. "Igneel, where are you!"

"Natsu!" came another voice, and the scent of vanilla suddenly filled his nostrils, making him stop short in his tracks.

"Lucy?!" Natsu yelled, whirling around. He caught sight of her, holding a burned and blistered Happy in her arms. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears and her entire body covered with deep, bloody gashes and burns. Natsu felt his heart stop.

"Help us, Natsu!" she said faintly, and then her eyes began to roll back into her head and she fell gently backwards.

"No, Lucy!" Natsu began to run after her, but the closer he got, the farther away she seemed to be. "Lucy!"

Igneel's agonized roar reached his ears, closer this time, and he whirled around, searching desperately for the dragon's familiar shape. "Igneel, why can't I see you?!"

Lucy's scream sounded at the same time Igneel let out another roar, and Natsu felt tears burn in the corners of his eyes as he desperately looked from one direction to the other.

"I don't know what to do," he said, covering his ears with his hands. "I can't do anything."

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Gajeel was never one to panic. That much he understood about himself.

But when he saw Metalicana lying in a heap before him, blood spurting from the thousands of wounds all over his body every time he exhaled, his mind went blank and his breath caught in his throat. Cold fear washed over him as he heard the dragon's heartbeat slowing to a deadly rate, and he sank to his knees, unable to tear his eyes away.

"Metalicana…" he said hoarsely. "Father."

"Gajeel!" cried a voice, and he turned to see Levy standing there, iron stakes embedded in every part of her tiny body. "Gajeel…why?"

"No," he croaked, reaching towards her as bloody tears ran down her cheeks. "No, Levy – I would never…"

But the image of her crucified to a tree flashed in his mind, and the look in her eyes that day when he had captured her and nearly pounded the living daylights out of her was the same as now. She gave a rattling gasp, and fell forward, the steaks piercing through her flesh and pushing gushing torrents of blood out.

"No," Gajeel whispered, crawling toward her. His hands shook as he reached for her. "Levy please – don't leave me…"

A shout behind him drew his attention, and he saw Pantherlily's form out of the corner of his eye. The little cat was writhing and wriggling as if he was being burned alive, but as Gajeel looked into his friend's crimson eyes, he saw the life slowly draining away like water.

"What happened, Lily?" he yelled, turning his attention to the cat. "What is going on?"

"I could ask you the same question," Lily said, but the mouth of the cat in front of him didn't move.

"What?" Gajeel said, wiping a few tears that had escaped unnoticed from his eyes. "What'd you say?"

"Over here," Lily said, and Gajeel felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked up, stunned, to see a perfectly healthy Pantherlily standing beside him with a questioning expression.

"But," said Gajeel, looking back and forth between the dying Pantherlily before him and the live one looking up at him with concern. "Wait…what?"

"I'm the real one," the Lily beside him said. "I think we're seeing visions of some sort, Gajeel."

"Visions?" Gajeel asked, his mind still reeling from the terrifying images he'd just witnessed. Lily jerked his thumb over to his right, and to his great surprise, Gajeel saw himself lying in a pool of blood that was increasing in volume by the second. "What in the world…?"

"I think this is part of the Trial," Lily said, as Gajeel shakily got to his feet. "I'm not sure what it is, but remember our goal – we have to get to the other side in one hour's time."

"Are you sure you're real?" Gajeel asked, searching Lily's face desperately.

"Yeah," Lily said. "I touched you, remember? I put my hand on your shoulder. Try touching one of the visions, it won't work."

Gajeel knelt down beside the dying Levy and gently took a strand of hair between his fingers. It turned translucent and slipped through his hand, as if he were touching a ghost's hair. "Wow."

"We have ten minutes left," Lily said, checking the tablet. "Oh – nine, now. We can figure this out later, but we have to cross that finish line."

Gajeel tore his gaze away from Metalicana. "You're right. Let's go."

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"NOOOO!" shrieked Juvia, pressing her face into her palms. "NO! NO! GRAY-SAMA, DON'T DIE!"

It was almost too much to bear; the sight of Gray's body being torn to shreds by invisible claws made her taste bile in her mouth. It was all she could do to not to run to his side and throw herself between him and whatever was dissecting him alive.

"Juvia!" Gray yelled, grabbing her arms and turning her to face him. "Juvia, it isn't real, alright? Look at me," he said, pulling her close and cupping her cheek with his palm. "I'm right here. It's me."

"JUVIA DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Neither do I," Gray said grimly. He jerked his thumb behind him. "Look, see? Tell me what you think."

She stared over his shoulder. A woman with short, choppy purple hair and pale skin was being burned alive next to Lyon, who was calling out for help as his skin was being peeled off his body. But even more frightening than that was the sight of herself, pale and soaked with water, screaming in agony as her bones were broken and twisted by what seemed to be an invisible assassin.

"Lyon?" Juvia said, her eyes widening. "And…Juvia? But who is the other woman?"

"That's Ur, my teacher." Gray sighed. "And I know for a fact that it's only an imitation of her, because the last time I saw her, the ice she'd become had melted into the ocean. As for Lyon, I know he wouldn't be allowed to come near an arena of the S-Class exams because he isn't a member of Fairy Tail. And you – well, I've got the real Juvia right here, so I don't see any reason to panic."

Juvia sniffed, her heart rate slowing to normal as she realized that the real Gray was completely fine. "Then, what is the purpose of all these apparitions?"

"To distract us, I think," Gray said. He looked at his lacrima tablet and swore. "Our goal is to cross that finish line, remember? We only have one minute left, according to the tablet. We have to hurry."

"One minute?!" Juvia exclaimed, as Gray pulled her along into a run. "We've only been here for five!"

"Lucy said time flowed differently here," he shrugged. "Maybe this is another part of the Test."

Juvia brought her hand to her heart. "Gray-sama…Juvia was – Juvia thought -"

"I know," he said, and turned around to grin at her. "Me too. But we can get to the bottom of this as soon as we finish the task."

"Let's get married, too!" she cried, images of their wedding flashing through her mind.

"Are you crazy?!" Gray yelled.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Ah – I'm really sorry, Wendy," Lucy said sheepishly as Erza and Mira Jane comforted the sobbing girl. "I didn't think about how scary this task would be for you."

"Don't apologize!" barked Laxus, coming up beside her. "If she can't keep her head in an emergency and focus on the task at hand, then she isn't fit to become an S-Class mage!"

All the judges shot him dirty looks, and his face fell. "What? What did I say?"

Gildarts sighed. "Well, it wasn't just you who lost out, Wendy. Even Gray and Juvia didn't stand a chance against that challenge."

"Hey!" Gray barked from his seat. A depressed-looking Juvia sat beside him, staring at the floor. "It wasn't our _fault_! Our heads got _hacked_, and you sped the clock up on us. I had to calm Juvia down before we could get anywhere!"

"Juvia is sorry," she mumbled. "Juvia is not fit to be Gray-sama's partner. She failed to help him become S-Class, and only succeeded in hindering him. Juvia will never forgive herself."

"H – hey," Gray said, tensing up at the sight of her tears. "It's okay, alright? Don't cry…"

"That_ was_ pretty trippy, Lucy," Levy said cheerfully, bounding up to her. "Your spell made me see everyone I care about and love… But I'm so glad you let me read that one horror novel you tried to write, remember? It had a nightmare sequence just like this."

"Oh, yeah," Lucy said, her spirits falling. "Whoops."

"Oh, come on! Stop moping around, everyone! You all figured it out eventually!" Natsu stood up from his place at Lucy's feet. "If Lucy thought you people could handle it, then you should be glad she didn't go easy on you."

"_I_ thought it was pretty good," Gajeel said smugly. "Your spell made everybody see the worst thing they could imagine happening to whoever they loved the most, isn't that right? A test on strength of mind is sort of an insult to our intelligence, if you make it that easy."

"What are you talking about?" Lily shouted. "You were the worst out of all of them, Gajeel! It was only because you were the only person in my vision that I was able to deduce what was going on."

Gajeel turned and gave his cat an if-you-say-anything-else-about-what-happened-back- there-I-will-end-you look, and Lily put up his paws in surrender.

"Who did you see, Gajeel?" Freed asked curiously. "I saw the Thunder God tribe."

"Metalicana," Gajeel grumbled. "And Lily."

"Is that aaaalll?" Lucy prompted, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I don't gotta answer to you!" he said defiantly, turning red. "Who'd you see, Salamander?"

"Igneel," Natsu answered. "And Happy and Lucy."

It was Lucy's turn to blush scarlet as everybody's eyes landed on her. "Natsu…" she murmured softly, but he had already turned away.

"Romeo saw Macao," he was telling Gildarts eagerly. "You should have seen the gory details this kid had in mind. It was pretty awesome once you got over the shock of the whole thing."

"I was calm," Romeo protested, wiping the last of his tears away from his face. His eyes were still very red and puffy. "I took it like a man."

"I saw Grandeeney," Wendy said shakily, as Mira stroked her hair soothingly. "And Carla, of course," she added, smiling at her Exceed.

"I saw you too, Wendy." Carla sighed. "I think that even though the real you was standing next to me the entire time, it did nothing to help me figure out what was going on. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"I saw Gildarts," Cana said, blushing.

Bisca laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty gruesome. I saw Al and Asuka."

"Ugh, mine was awful," Lisanna said, shaking her head. "Seeing Mira Jane and Elfman like that…it was terrible."

"I saw my sister, too," Yukino told her. "But that's how we could tell it was fake, remember?"

"Yes, well, you all did spectacularly," Makarov said, speaking up for the first time. "But unfortunately, the losers of this round have to go home. Gray and Juvia, you did not cross the finish line within the time limit. Wendy and Carla, you failed to complete the task at all. I'm afraid you four will have to be sent back to Earthland immediately."

Wendy bit her lip and nodded, while Carla looked at her sympathetically. Gray sighed, and stood up so that he and Natsu were standing face-to-face.

"Now that I'm out of the running, that's sure proof that you're not making it to S-Class this year."

Natsu turned red. "What'd you say?!"

"You've never beaten me before, and you never will," Gray said dismissively, as he turned and walked towards Wendy and Carla. Juvia ran to his side. "It just goes to show, you know? There's no way you're gonna win this thing, so I can go back to Earthland with that weight off my chest."

"What do you know, Gray?" Natsu yelled, balling his fists in anger. "I'll win this thing if I want to! Just you wait!"

Gray gave him a very ambiguous smile, and Lucy raised her starry key in the air.

"Alright, you guys – we'll be seeing you. All four of you were amazing."

"Thanks," Wendy said, waving cheerfully. "Come back soon everyone, alright?"

A magic circle appeared beneath their feet, glowing brilliantly. A wall of light flashed up, surrounding them in a swirl of wind and color, and then they were gone, leaving the group significantly downsized.

"Alright," Makarov said, clapping his hands together. "You've made it through levels one and two. The next challenge will be a test of skill and strength; it will be administered to you by Laxus Dreyar."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Why did you call me in here, Musca?" Loke asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Musca glanced at the lion spirit, and then shut the door behind him to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard.

"There's been an investigation on Sagittarius's attack," he began. "He was wounded with a very dark and powerful magic while trying to stop an intruder from entering the premises upon which the King was located. It's a magic known only to very few spirits – the Equinoctial type."

"No way," Loke responded, his eyes widening. "But – but only the Zodiac can use that type of magic!"

"Exactly," Musca nodded. "Orion instructed me to inform you and you alone, Leo," he said, his eyes flashing. "If you breathe a word of what I am about to say to anyone else, you will be charged with high treason and rebellion, and I'm sure the king will not be as merciful as he was a second time."

Loke gulped and nodded, feeling a shiver slide down his spine.

"Very well, then," Musca said grimly. "We believe there's a traitor among the Zodiac."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**A/N: Aaah yeah, here it is! Lucy's challenge was pretty trippy, am I right? :)**

**And this is not as hard as it gets, believe me. You should see what Laxus has in store for them, lol. **

**I'm sure some of you were shocked at Gray and Juvia got out so early. But it wasn't a test of power, it was a test of mental strength and stability, and the point was to see how much these people could take without panicking, which is probably really important for an S-Class wizard. In this case, Juvia held Gray back by freaking out at seeing him dead, and spent all their time worrying about how to help him when there was a more important goal to accomplish. In that sense, I don't think she's serious enough about becoming S-Class, and I secretly like to think Gray isn't either because he chose to comfort her instead of finish the challenge, hehehee. But don't worry, they'll be back for sure :)**

**Also, I didn't believe Wendy was mature enough to pass a test like this either. She's very brave and powerful, but she is still a child who can't think like an adult just yet. But she's coming back too!**

**So, yeah, that's it. Are you mad? Did you hate it? Don't hate me, or it, because the ending is sooo great, you'll see! :D**


End file.
